All Turtles Message Board

baduncan · Guest Joined: 16 Oct 2007 Posts: 1

I recently adopted a rescued box turtle. We live in NE Florida and she lives in an outdoor pen. The problem is we have a huge amount of ants in this area and they love her pen. As soon as I set food out they come out to get out. I don't think she is in danger, but they are fire ants if she and they are competing for food then I'm afraid they'll win. Is there a safe way to control them, or is it a pointless battle in this environment?

STRAYKINGFISHER · Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 12:42 am Post subject:

I would try building a moat for the pen, not a big one, just wide and deep enough for the ants to think twice about getting at the food, ofcourse, evaporation and water being sucked into the ground is a problem, but maybe lining the moat with some kind of plastic so that the water stays where you put it.
It may sound odd, but that is what I do to my dog's food dish, I put it in a
wider dish and then fill the lower one with water, and poof, no more ants in the food. Laughing

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davnangkelly · Level 2 Joined: 02 Apr 2009 Posts: 41

If they are true fire ants there should be a mound. I would use a good fire ant poison on the mound as long as it is outside to pen. Get rid of them. Ants can harm your turtle if they get to her eyes so be mindful of that. I like straykingfisher's idea of a moat. I don't know how big your pen is but I would start by digging a 3 to 4 foot diameter hole. Not too deep. Only about 2 to 4 inches max. Then shape an island in the middle with some of the dirt. Then lay a soft PVC liner to cover it all. A 5' x 5' piece should do it for a 4' hole. Ideally you want your island (Plateau ish) about 1 inch above water level and your moat about 1 to 3 inches deep. Box turtles love to soak in shallow water and they float. You can be creative with the island. One idea, cover it first with nylon screen (like what's on your windows) so that it drapes into the water. Then cover the PVC liner and screen either with some left over dirt or soft clay may last longer since dirt will wash into your moat. This should keep ants away from her food and she'll love to soak in the moat. You can put small to medium river rock in your moat as well. Just clean them up first. The screen will help her if she has a problem climbing onto the island.

davnangkelly · Level 2 Joined: 02 Apr 2009 Posts: 41

Didn't mean to send twice sorry